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1973 Universal Football League
The Universal Football League was a venture announced on Friday, October 5, 1973, by Tony Razzano, a sports agent from Dayton, Ohio, and by Dayton financier Louis S. Goldman. The timing of the UFL announcement, however, came during the same week of the nationwide reports of Gary Davidson's World Football League on October 2, 1973. ("More Pro Football?", Arizona Republic, October 6, 1973) Razzano told a reporter in his hometown later that "We had originally set on the title of World Football League for our organization and then when this other group made their announcement we had to change ours." ("Two new grid loops in making",by Pete Mollica, New Castle (PA) News, October 9, 1973). Razzano told a press conference in Dayton that UFL franchises would cost three million dollars apiece and that he and Goldman had received "verbal commitments from a number of cities". He and Goldman identified franchise locations and potential owners as Tampa businessman Steve Rama; Toronto Maple Leafs owner Bill Ballard; Phoenix physician Howard Sherman, a part-owner of the NBA Suns; real estate developer Stan Kraus of New Castle, Pennsylvania, for a franchise in Memphis; "a substantial native backer in the communications business in Mexico City whose name cannot be revealed"; "a prominent sports figure in Chicago"; real estate developer Paul Tipps of Dayton; and "well known people in other cities who are not quite ready to reveal their interests", though other franchise locations were New York, Seattle, Birmingham, and Anaheim. (Hagerstown (MD) Morning Herald, October 6, 1973). Razzano said that his league would operate in 1974 and would differ from the NFL in that "I'm putting more excitement into pro football with this league. We don't want monster linemen in the pits leaning against one another or the straight drop back quarterback, we want excitement. We're going to adopt most of the Canadian Football League rules," and added that he was "hoping" to get some of the CFL teams to join the UFL. (New Castle News, October 9, 1973). By November, the UFL was losing its competition with the WFL, and Razzano conceded that only one of the leagues "is going to have to drop by the wayside, and we don't intend for it to be us." When contacted by a UPI reporter for a followup, he said "'There is no question that we will have at least 10 teams on the field next year. Maybe 12, maybe 14. Money is not a problem. We haven't said much because we're business people. We're not promoters who put out emotional talk. We're going to have a summit meeting in New York City with our key people in about two weeks and there may be some announcements after that. We're putting this together very methodically. Right now we're not interested in making a lot of smoke. We want fire-- the real thing." ("Organizer Is Determined", UPI report in Logansport (IN) Pharos Tribune, November 16, 1973). He spoke of a secret draft of all American players in the CFL and said that he was "looking for a 'different breed" of player than the NFL, such as "quick, fast, unpredictable quarterbacks" rather than a "drop-back passer", and an unpredictable running back "that when he runs to the right nobody knows if he's going to turn around and run to the left" rather than "the huge brute who just plows straight ahead." Players whom he cited as "our type" were Chuck Ealey, Johnny Rodgers, Greg Pruitt and Howard Stevens". The UFL's last mention came in January, when Razzano conceded that the WFL had done a better job of promoting itself and that the league would not play in 1974. Razzano said instead that he was hoping to play "in April, May, June and July of 1975" ("UFL Opening Delayed", UPI report in Pacific Stars And Stripes, January 19, 1974)